Online Quality Engineering Certificate

Use Data to Improve Product Quality.

Quality engineering involves the use of methodologies, processes, and tools to improve product development. It is crucial to ensuring business success, safeguarding consumer interest, and maintaining uniformity, efficiency, and high quality during all stages of the production process.

What do quality engineers do? Most work within a broader team of professionals to ensure that products are safe and that they meet customer expectations. Quality engineers also focus on increasing efficiencies and minimizing costs. Their routine tasks may include creating documentation, developing quality tests, and troubleshooting problems.

Michigan Tech's Online Graduate Certificate in Quality Engineeringprepares you to apply statistical methods and quality-improvement principles to products and processes. Develop the skills to assess variation, identify problems, and support more consistent, efficient manufacturing outcomes.

Who is This Certificate For?

This certificate is designed for engineering and manufacturing professionals who want to improve quality, reliability, and productivity through statistical methods. It is particularly relevant to those involved in process improvement, testing, quality assurance, or the analysis of variation in products and production systems.

You can also earn this credential along the way to a MS or PhD in Manufacturing Engineering.

What You'll Study

The online quality engineering certificate emphasizes statistical process control (SPC), statistical analysis, and computing (using R/RStudio and SAS software). You'll learn to solve real-world problems related to quality and productivity by using control charts, concepts of lean manufacturing, and more. Quality engineering courses also cover probability models, parameter estimation, and hypothesis testing.

Every quality engineering student will complete two required courses and then choose one of two electives.

When planning your program, please refer to the course registration page to check class availability.

Required Courses

ME 5650 - Advanced Quality Engineering

Introduction to the concepts and methods of quality and productivity improvement. Topics include principles of Shewhart, Deming, Taguchi; meaning of quality; control charts for variables, individuals, and attributes; process capability analysis; variation of assemblies; multi-variate situations; and computer-based workshops.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following College(s): College of Engineering

MA 5701 - Statistical Methods

Introduction to design, conduct, and analysis of statistical studies, with an introduction to statistical computing and preparation of statistical reports. Topics include design, descriptive, and graphical methods, probability models, parameter estimation and hypothesis testing.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate

Electives (Choose One)

ME 5655 - Introduction to Lean Manufacturing

Introduces lean manufacturing tools, techniques, and practices. Topics include Muda, 5S, visual factory, VSM, theory of constraints, standardized work, pull system, SMED, TPM, and lean assessment. Additional case studies and manufacturing process simulation-based projects are also used for assessing and improving processes.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate; Must be enrolled in one of the following College(s): College of Engineering, College of Business

ME 5670 - Experimental Design in Engineering

Review of basic statistical concepts. Models for testing significance of one or many factors. Reducing experimental effort by incomplete blocks, and Latin squares. Factorial and fractional factorial designs. Response surface analysis for optimal response.

Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Summer
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following College(s): College of Engineering
Pre-Requisite(s): MEEM 4901(C) or ME 4901(C) or ENT 4950(C) or Graduate Status >= 1

This certificate is also available as an on-campus option.

Where You'll Apply Your Skills

You'll gain the mathematical, computational, analytical, and communication skills to open new professional pathways and boost your earning potential. As a quality engineer, you'll develop the expertise to improve processes that drive customer satisfaction, and, in turn, better the overall performance and profitability of your organization.

A close up of a computer monitor in a manufacturing engineering facility.

Possible Industries

Automotive
Energy
Food and Beverage
Manufacturing
Medical and pharmaceutical
Packaging
Technology

On average, industrial engineers earn a median annual salary of $101,140 (US BLS, 2024).

Get Started on Your Online Quality Engineering Certificate.

Take the next step on your educational journey at Michigan Tech. We are here to answer your questions and to help you succeed in your online program. Reach out when you're ready. Or begin or free, easy graduate application process.